


Lights Flicker & Fade

by alienzbarz



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Idk what to tag this as, Other, part 1 of i make connor a fucking dad lmao
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-17
Updated: 2018-09-20
Packaged: 2019-07-13 10:25:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16015964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alienzbarz/pseuds/alienzbarz
Summary: “Lieutenant… I can’t…” He bent to Alice’s level to look her in the eyes, keeping his hands on her shoulders. She looked equal parts devastated and terrified, she had just lost the remaining member of her small family. “I can’t turn her in.” He whispered. Her wriggling subsided as Connor maintained eye contact with her.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I love Kara and Alice's story. I just admit that I might have fucked up on the highway with them the second (?) playthrough I did. This is literally part of a series where I make it possible for Connor to be a dad. I also might have a long winded plot written out for this fic already.
> 
> 2: This story doesn't start with Connor as deviant, but just assume that his software instability is already pretty high lmao
> 
> 3: The first chapter is super short but the rest won't be.

Connor had half a mind to rip his arm away from Hank as Hank held him back, but he kept his hands firm against his side. He watched the deviants across the highway carefully, as if they were prey that he let slip out of his hands. His eyes tracked the cars that narrowly grazed the back of Kara, and the cars that sped in front of Alice. He could feel himself getting antsy as he watched the deviants stumble on the highway.

And then… time stopped. Just for a moment, as he watched Kara become a perfectly still deer in the headlights. The world began moving in slow motion as soon as Connor leapt over the fence. He felt himself taking an action that he didn’t think was possible. He watched as Kara was no longer in front of him, and what was left was a scared and scarred little girl. A girl who looked so painfully lonely, Connor couldn't just leave her there.

He didn’t think, or maybe that was the first time he truly did, as he grabbed Alice’s arm and lifted her onto his shoulders, crossing back to the other side. He quickly climbed the slippery mud slope back up to Hank. He carefully but firmly took her off his shoulders, maintaining his grip so she couldn’t run. Alice desperately tried to squirm and wriggle her way out of Connor’s grasp, but he wasn’t going to let go.

“Lieutenant… I can’t…” He bent to Alice’s level to look her in the eyes, keeping his hands on her shoulders. She looked equal parts devastated and terrified, she had just lost the remaining member of her small family. “I can’t turn her in.” He whispered. Her wriggling subsided as Connor maintained eye contact with her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Hank's dad senses come out and I cry because I totally forgot that Hank 100000% has dad senses

Hank watched as Connor carefully wiped at Alice’s face to remove her tears. He had only witnessed Connor on one other occasion display any sign of empathy, but even then it felt nothing like this. There was an air to Connor right then. Protective, without a doubt. He risked his life to save her. He had tried to justify it as soon as he started moving back toward Hank. Just for the mission, he thought to himself. But he knew deep down that he would never be able to use her in any sort of way to advance his investigation. Hank had realized that soon they may have an audience. A part of him was proud of Connor in that moment. Connor risking his life to save a child was not something he’d ever seen the android doing.

Connor looked back to the policemen hanging behind them. Hank was covering Alice from what he could tell, however, Alice would not have been safe there. The officers would take her in for questioning, and Connor was certain she couldn’t handle that. Connor then looked around for a subtle way out. Hank looked between Connor and Alice. He saw in her a girl who had just lost her mother. His primary objective in that moment was to keep her and Connor safe.

“Take the back alleyway, I’ll meet you at the car.” He said, gesturing to a dark alleyway. Connor nodded and began leading Alice away from the officers. He took her hand in a tight but not constraining grip. He didn’t want to hurt her in any way at that point, but he also was still afraid she may run. Connor ducked when he heard the officers walking past the two, shielding Alice’s body with his own. 

“I’m sorry.” He whispered to her, while holding her behind the wall. “I know this isn’t easy, but I need you to trust me, okay?” She let out a slight breath, one of both relief and anguish. She had been able to stop her tears, even momentarily. Connor tugged her jacket when he heard the cops abandon their search, signaling her to move with him. He boosted her over the fence separating the hill from the alley. He quickly jumped after her, making his footsteps near silent. He took her hand again, leading her through the alley, scoping and scanning the area around them to make sure they were alone and safe. He began to lead her out of the alley when he saw another officer nearing them.

He placed his finger over his lips, signaling her to stay quiet. She gave a small nod of agreement as he picked her up and quickly maneuvered into the second alleyway out of sight of the officer. He snuck his way slowly through each alleyway before he determined they were safe.

“Hank… where are you?” Connor whispered to himself, frustrated, scanning for Hank’s car. He was truly hoping he wouldn’t have to go out in the open with Alice, it wasn’t safe for either of them to be seen right now. Connor went back and forth with himself moving his head in and out of the alleyway, waiting for Hank to pull around. After what felt like a lifetime but was only realistically about 30 seconds, Connor heard the familiar roar of Hank’s older model engine rolling through the street they were next to. The officers around them had already given up their search and left. Once Hank stopped, Connor quickly opened the back door for Alice and hopped in the front seat calmly.

Hank gave him a once-over before turning to look at the road and drive. He didn’t think Connor was capable of risking his own life to save another. All he’d seen so far is Connor working “as intended,” but, to him, that hardly felt real. This was a Connor that Hank was confident he was not going to see too often. It was almost like Alice had… unlocked something in him. Something that Connor wasn’t even fully sure of yet. Though, that could just be Hank’s wishful thinking fuckin’ at it again, after all, Connor IS just a machine.

“Are you alright?” Connor asked, looking back to Alice. She had begun to silently cry again. She clutched her fox, giving a small shake of her head. Connor sighed. “Are you hurt?” He tried. Again, Alice shook her head, not yet being able to form words. Alice thought of Kara, and how she had already longed to see her again. She curled into herself, remaining silent, and turned her head to stare out the window. Connor watched her for a bit before turning back to the front seat himself. He stared out the window, watching the rain fall, focusing on a single drop before letting his mind drift and wander. What the hell had he gotten himself into? What was he going to do?

“Lieutenant,” Connor started. Hank took a quick glance at Connor to acknowledge that he was listening. “I’m not sure what the best approach is here,” He said, looking back at Alice through the rear view mirror. Hank let out a deep sigh. He didn’t exactly have any answers either, but the girl had nowhere to go. 

“For tonight, she stays with me.” Hank replied. “I have a spare bedroom, she can sleep in there.” For a second, Hank looked pained and troubled, almost like that bedroom held some memory that Hank was killing himself to forget. Connor decided not to push it, though. He knew that Hank would talk about it if he needed to. “We can figure out what to do in the morning.”

“Can I stay with you as well?” Connor asked. “I won’t be a disturbance, I just…” He looked back at Alice through the mirror once more. “I need to make sure she is alright.” 

Hank contemplated for a moment. Connor had just been spending his off-time in a storage room at the DPD, it wasn’t like he ate. What was the worst he could do if he was home with Hank? He had saved Alice’s life, it was only fair to let him stay with her. He was showing empathy for her. Hank held hope for Connor. With each time Connor looked back at her, that little spark inside of him grew just a small bit more. He was worried about her. He had some amount of care for her, and that alone would’ve been enough to get Hank to agree.

“Screw it,” Hank smiled, censoring his curses around the child, but only for a second. “Sure, let’s make it a fuckin’ sleepover.”

* * *

 

Alice entered Hank’s house cautiously, quickly looking around at different objects, looking for any sign of danger or red ice, but found nothing. What she did see was a few empty pizza boxes, chinese food containers stacked up in the trash can, and a couple of empty beer bottles that certainly unsettled her. She waited for Connor to enter before she hid behind him slightly. Connor hadn’t noticed but Hank had.

“It’s not much, but it’s a house.” Hank tried to lighten the situation. He turned back to Alice, squatting to her level so he seemed a bit less intimidating to her. “I wish I could do more for you sweetheart. Do you want to watch some TV? Are you thirsty? Hungry?” 

Alice quickly jumped back at the massive dog known as Sumo. She jumped and hid behind Connor more as a reflex. She had never actually met or seen a dog before.

“That’s Sumo,” The massive dog started to back off once he realized how scared she was. He sat patiently, waiting for her to recognize that he wasn’t going to hurt her. “He’s a gentle giant. He won’t hurt you, he loves kids.” Hank smiled, bending to pet Sumo’s head. Connor walked over to pet Sumo as well.

Alice gave the smallest of smiles as she walked to the dog who was just as big as her while he was sitting. She first started with a few cautious pats on his head before she was ruffling his hair around with her hands. She smoothed out his fur and looked at him. He remained completely calm.

Alice turned to Hank slowly, taking her hands off of Sumo’s head. “I-I’m okay…” She replied, her voice quiet. “I’m not really hungry or thirsty.” He really didn’t seem threatening like this, she was sure he wasn’t going to hurt her. “Thank you.”

Hank looked at her clothes. “You’re soaking wet!” He exclaimed. “I’ll get you a towel and a dry change of clothes, okay?” He put a hand on her shoulder softly. She nodded. Hank stood up, running to his room and the spare bedroom. Alice walked away from the dog, looking around the living room before finally settling on Connor.

Connor finally turned to Alice. He mimicked Hank’s action of squatting to her level, steadying himself on his knees. “What’s your name?” He questioned softly, not wanting to frighten her.

“A-Alice.” She replied.

“That’s a pretty name.” He gave a slight quirk of his lips. “Do you like Alice In Wonderland?” He asked. She nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Hank returned to the living room with a baby blue towel and a large shirt, along with a pair of small boxers. “This is all I’ve got, anything’s better than wet clothes.” He handed her the towel so she could dry herself off. “Do you want me to run you a warm bath?” He realized that he probably should’ve just put the clothes in the bathroom. She shook her head. “Oh, alright. Your room is the one at the end of the hall. You can change in there, just uh, bring me your wet clothes so I can dry them.” She nodded once more and disappeared down the hall.

Hank finally got the chance to slip off his jacket and shoes. He looked to Connor, who had seemed nearly like a different person from the moment Hank had met him. He seemed more cautious, more alert. He seemed to have something in his head other than data, and Hank was determined to figure out what it was.

“Alice.” Connor said. Hank looked almost stunned at him talking. “Her name, it’s Alice, she likes Alice In Wonderland.”

“Huh…” Hank said. “What pushed you to save her earlier?” Hank asked, walking in front of Connor so he couldn’t avoid the question. Connor looked down, thinking.

“I couldn’t just… let her die there.” He furrowed his brows. “Not like that. It felt so cruel, and-and wrong.”

Hank cocked his head. “You did good, Connor.” Hank clapped his shoulder like a proud father. “I’m glad you didn’t.”

Alice emerged seconds later, holding her wet clothes in her arms. Hank turned around, barely hearing her footsteps on his carpet. His shirt went just past her hips, the tiny boxers just poking out barely underneath. Hank looked surprised, it was the smallest shirt he had for himself. Hell, if it barely fit him, why let it go to waste? He took Alice’s clothes and moved through his bedroom to the garage where he kept his washing machine and dryer. 

Connor followed Alice back to her room, sitting on the bed with her beside him. He didn’t want to push about Kara, it didn’t feel right for him to do that right now. He didn’t want to ask her about her life, it didn’t seem appropriate. She should trust him more for that. Instead, he went for a more friendly approach, asking about her interests.

“You like reading?” He looked to her. She nodded.

“Reading is a whole nother world,” She explained to him. “When I read, I don’t have to worry about anything around me.” 

“What do you like to read?” He asked curiously. She looked up to the ceiling, her eyes trailing the soft blue of the room, along with the railroad wall trim. She looked to the bed sheets that were green and blue, and to the LED lamp that was constantly changing colors.

“Everything.” She replied with a slight smile. Her eyes finally fixed on a bookshelf, filled with everything from chapter books to books for preschoolers. She crawled off the bed, walking toward the shelf, picking out books to read one by one. Connor had his qualms about leaving her alone during the day, though he knew she would be alright. She didn’t want her to be bored out of her mind watching TV, and it’s not like she could to to school or really leave the house at all. Hank had enough to keep someone entertained though. He had at least one HoloPad lying around the house, along with whatever else books, Connor had full confidence that she would be okay. 

“I’ll leave you alone, then, Alice.” He smiled to her as she buried her nose in a book. She crawled back to bed, lying on top of her sheets and blankets with the same book. 

Once Connor stepped out, Hank stepped into the room. He looked to the walls, realizing that he had not come into that room in at least a year. He didn’t have the heart to take anything from the room, so he just kinda left it as a reminder of what could have been. He watched Alice as she combed through her book quickly, almost too quickly to be human.

“You like to read, huh?” Hank said, walking toward her. Alice curled slightly into herself, almost afraid to answer. “You can read as many of those books as you want. I even have a few I could give ya.” Hank smirked. 

“What’s his name?” Hank said, looking down at Alice’s fox. Alice pulled the fox close to her so it was laying on the pillow with her.

“Timothy.” She looked over at Hank, placing the book down next to her. She picked up Timothy, putting him on top of her knees so he was staring at her. “He’s my best friend.” She grabbed Timothy’s hand and waved it at Hank. Hank replied with a soft “Hello Timothy.”

“I’m sorry about what happened today, Alice.” He sat on the edge of the bed, keeping a safe distance between him and her, making sure she was not uncomfortable. “You’re safe here, though.”

Alice continued playing with Timothy, moving his arms up and down and making him jump around. She finally stilled her fox, looking to Hank. “Why did Connor save me?” She asked, curious and melancholy. Hank gave her a sincerely pained look. His heart went out to the little girl that sat in front of him. Did she think she wasn’t worth saving? 

“Oh, Alice…” Hank sighed, his voice reflecting the weight of the question she had asked. “I would’ve done the same thing, sweetheart. Neither of us were just going to watch you get hurt.” He turned so his body was facing her. “Listen. I know you likely won’t be able to rest tonight, but a kid can only take so much in one day. Please, try to get some rest. If you need to talk, I’m just in the next room. Don’t worry about waking me up, I understand.”

“Where is Connor?” She asked curiously. 

“Living room, should be on the couch.” Hank replied. With that, he stood again. “I’m gonna try to get some shut-eye. Listen, if you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to come to me.” Hank tried to reassure Alice. She gave a small nod as Hank left the room.

* * *

 

Alice tossed and turned for hours on end, not being able to sleep nor get comfortable enough to try. She had pushed Timothy off the bed, then grabbed him again, then pushed him off, then used him as a pillow. She had cried all she could before she was just in silent sobs. She couldn’t focus enough to read, and she couldn’t stop thinking about Kara. She considered going to Hank to talk, but she was still afraid that he was going to react poorly despite what he had told her. She was afraid to trust him because she was afraid to trust herself at that point. After hours of going back and forth with herself, she had finally decided to get out of bed and meet Connor in the living room.

Connor’s eyes were shut as she examined him. He didn’t move, nor twitch, he had gone into complete rest mode. She walked around him, looking at him. His clothes were still damp, she guessed he had no actual need to change them. She pulled at his sleeve in an attempt to wake him, which unfortunately did not work. She pulled at his leg, nothing. She touched his hand, turning hers white, which actually did wake him. His eyes slowly opened and he looked down to see Alice standing at his legs. 

“Couldn’t sleep, huh? I’m surprised I can sometimes.” Connor kept his voice low, as not to wake Hank. “Would talking help?” Alice paused for a moment before giving a slight nod. Connor moved from where he was standing against the wall to the couch. Alice sat beside him. “What do you want to talk about?”

Alice pondered for a moment. “Why were you chasing us? Why did you stop?”

Connor let out a small sigh. “I was chasing you because I’m programmed to. Hank told me that I’d get myself killed, and I should stop running. I realized that not all orders are so simple. Not everything has such a simple solution.”

“It’s my fault Kara died. I should’ve just listened to her, we should’ve went to that other house on the other side of town.” Alice put her head in her hands. She didn’t want to cry again, so she slapped her face softly. Connor’s brows furrowed as he cautiously put a hand on her back. Connor was not used to showing compassion or affection, so it was entirely new territory to him. 

“Don’t blame yourself Alice, you’ve done nothing wrong!” Connor whispered firmly. “If you’re going to blame anyone, it should be me. I was just taking orders. I should’ve seen that it’s not that simple. I didn’t think I had a choice. I’m so sorry, Alice.” Connor removed the hand from her back to hold them in his lap. He didn’t realize that he’d be taking Alice’s mother from her, but he was starting to feel the full weight of his actions now, having Alice sitting beside him. Alice looked down for a moment, thinking. She quickly squeezed at Connor’s arm, hoping that he’d look at her.

Connor looked down at Alice. “You saved me. You would’ve saved her too.” Alice looked hopeful. Connor put his hand over hers. He knew she was right, but he was already beginning to doubt himself. He hoped that giving her a somber nod would be enough to tell her that she was right.


End file.
